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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/songsofcheer01bang 



SONGS OF CHEER 



Copyright, 1910 
Sherman, French &* Company 












©CI.A26162 



TO 

THE ROSE-LADY 

M. G. B, 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

AFFINITY 1 

THE WORD 2 

A SMILING PARADOX 3 

THE GIFTS DIVINE 4 

THE KINGDOM OF MAN 5 

THE VOYAGE 7 

A WINTER SONG 8 

A THANKSGIVING 9 

SUNLIGHT 10 

A PHILOSOPHER . 11 

TWO DOORS 12 

AGE-PROOF 13 

THE RICHER MINES 14 

GARDENING . 15 

IF 16 

THE BOOKS OF SPRING 18 

"DON'T CARE" AND "NEVER MIND" . . 19 

AS TO EPITAPHS 21 

AFTER THE TIFF 22 

AN UNSELFISH HERMIT 23 

MY NEIGHBOR .24 

WINTER FLOWERS 25 

THE PINE 26 

EXORCISED .28 

THE SEASON OF YOUTH 29 

LAUGHTER 30 



PAGE 

FRIENDS 31 

PHILOSOPHY 32 

AD ASTRA 33 

RELINQUISHMENT 34 

ON A GLOOMY DAY 36 

A SYLVAN HOME 37 

PERSISTENCE 39 

MAY IT BE MINE 40 

IN THE LIBRARY 41 

TIME'S BANQUET 43 

THE ELOQUENCE OF SILENCE ..... 44 

ON FILE 45 

THE NOTE WITHIN 46 

NATURE'S HIRED MAN 47 

THE SMILE OF PLENTY ........ 49 

BY SPECIAL DELIVERY 50 

THE KINDLY MOON 51 

A RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS 52 

A CHOICE 53 

AMBITION 54 

THE TEACHERS 55 

THE ROAD TO MEMORY ....... 56 

MY TREASURES 58 

THE FRIENDLY NIGHT ........ 59 

SUPPOSE 60 

ON THINKING GLAD 62 

THE ESCAPE 63 

TO MELANCHOLY 64 



SONGS OF CHEER 



AFFINITY 

ONCE in a garden in the East 
A zephyr blew across the close, 
And as it swept the floral feast 
It lost its heart unto the rose. 
But duty held it on its way, 

And called it north, and south, and west 
Returning on a Winter's day 
It found its love at rest. 

The ages passed, and still the soft 

Enamored breeze held on its path ; 
Now near to earth, and now aloft 

It cut its fate-appointed swath; 
But never in its pilgrimage 

Forgot that beauteous garden-close, 
Nor in the later days of age 

Its heart-ache for the rose. 

So I in that lost other state 

Wherein my heart first met the tide 
Of Life and Love — ah, blessed fate ! — 

A rose of beauty once espied ; 
And though the myriad years have passed 

Since first on her my soul was set, 
Again I come to her at last, 

My own true love as yet I 

[ 1 ] 



THE WORD 

TO-DAY, whatever may annoy, 
The word for me is Joy, just simple Joy: 
The joy of life; 

The j oy of children and of wife ; 
The joy of bright blue skies; 
The j oy of rain ; the glad surprise 
Of twinkling stars that shine at night ; 
The j oy of winged things upon their flight ; 
The joy of noon-day, and the tried 
True joyousness of eventide; 
The joy of labor and of mirth; 
The joy of air, and sea, and earth; 
The countless joys that ever flow from Him 
Whose vast beneficence doth dim 
The lustrous light of day, 
And lavish gifts divine upon our way. 
What'er there be of Sorrow 
I'll put off till To-morrow, 
And when To-morrow comes, why then 
'Twill be To-day and Joy again ! 



C 2 1 



A SMILING PARADOX 

I'VE squandered smiles to-day, 
And, strange to say, 
Altho' my frowns with care I've stowed away, 
To-night I'm poorer far in frowns than at the 
start; 
While in my heart, 
Wherein my treasures best I store, 
I find my smiles increased by several score. 



[ 3 ] 



THE GIFTS DIVINE 

FROM earth, and sky, and sea, 
Let cheer come unto me, 
And mirth, and tenderness, 
And all the things that bless, 
That I may pass them on to those 
Who suffer woes ; 
Not keep them for mine own, 
Nor joy in them alone, 
But share them to the uttermost in deed, 
And thought, in all good will, with them that 

need; 
So that when at the end of this, my earthly 

day, 
Whence I have come returning, all the world 

will say: 
" He richly lived, and lavishly he gave 
Of wealth that knows no ceasing with the grave, 
But reaches on into the presence of 
The Throne Eternal — gifts of Cheer and 

Love! " 



[ 4 ] 



THE KINGDOM OF MAN 

OWHAT of the outer drear, 
As long as there's inner light; 
As long as the sun of cheer . 

Shines ardently bright? 

As long as the soul's a-wing, 
As long as the heart is true, 

What power hath trouble to bring 
A sorrow to you? 

No bar can encage the soul, 
Nor capture the spirit free, 

As long as old earth shall roll, 
Or hours shall be. 

Our world is the world within, 
Our life is the thought we take. 

And never an outer sin 
Can mar it or break. 

Brood not on the rich man's land, 
Sigh not for the miser's gold, 

Holding in reach of your hand 
The treasure untold 



[ 5 ] 



That lies in the Mines of Heart, 
That rests in the soul alone — 

Bid worry and care depart, 
Come into your own I 



[ 6 ] 



THE VOYAGE 

OUT, out upon the sea we sail 
To brave the tempest and the gale; 
To seek some golden shore afar 
Where Fortune and her favors are. 

By some the harbor ne'er is won, 
Despite the journey well begun; 
The storm besets, and ruin lies 
Where yesterday were fairest skies. 

For others, blest with kindlier winds, 
The speedy ship the harbor finds — 
A haven safe where all is well, 
And Fortune stands as sentinel. 

For me, my craft is sailing on, 
Through mists to-day, clear seas anon. 
Whate'er the final harbor be 
'Tis good to sail upon the sea ! 



[ 7 ] 



A WINTER SONG 

WINTER hedges me about, 
All the scene is cold and white. 
Clouds are laden all with doubt, 

And the day hath much of night. 

Yet I hold secure within 

Thoughts of spring and summer days, 
And above the north-wind's din 

Rise the thrush's roundelays. 

Hints of daffodil and rose, 

Memories of busy bees ; 
Pictures of the morning glows 

Of the sunlight through the trees. 

There I dwell from care apart, 

In a sweet and cozy spot — 
In the Land of Happy-Heart, 

Where the winter cometh not ! 



[ 8] 



A THANKSGIVING 

FOR summer rain, and winter's sun, 
For autumn breezes crisp and sweet ; 
For labors doing, to be done, 

And labors all complete; 
For April, May, and lovely June, 
For bud, and bird, and berried vine ; 
For joys of morning, night, and noon, 
My thanks, dear Lord, are Thine ! 

For loving friends on every side ; 
For children full of joyous glee; 
For all the blessed Heavens wide, 

And for the sounding sea ; 
For mountains, valleys, forests deep ; 
For maple, oak, and lofty pine ; 
For rivers on their seaward sweep, 

My thanks, dear Lord, are Thine ! 

For light and air, for sun and shade, 
For merry laughter and for cheer; 
For music and the glad parade 

Of blessings through the year; 
For all the fruitful earth's increase, 
For home, and life, and love divine, 
For hope, and faith, and perfect peace, 

My thanks, dear Lord, are Thine ! 

[ 9 ] 



SUNLIGHT 

ICE and snow are cold, I know — 
Pain and sorrow too are chill. 
Ever notice how the glow 
Of the sun on ice and snow, 

On your wintry window-sill, 
Melts away the snow and ice — 
Sends it tripping in a trice? 
So with every ill! 

So with every chilling storm — 

All will melt away 
If you'll only let the warm 

Streams of sunlight play 
In and all about your room. 

Enemy to sin, 
Enemy to care and gloom — 

Let the sunlight in ! 



[ 10 ] 



A PHILOSOPHER 

TO take things as they be — 
Thet's my philosophy. 
No use to holler, mope, or cuss — 
If they was changed they might be wuss. 

If rain is pourin' down, 
An' lightnin's buzzin' roun', 
I ain't a-fearin' we'll be hit, 
But grin thet I ain't out in it. 

If I got deep in debt — 

It hasn't happened yet — 
And owed a man two dollars, Gee! 
Why I'd be glad it wasn't three ! 

If some one come along, 

And tried to do me wrong, 
Why I should sort of take a whim 
To thank the Lord I wasn't him. 

I never seen a night 

So dark there wasn't light 
Somewheres about if I took care 
To strike a match and find out where. 



[ 11 



TWO DOORS 

THERE is a door that opens on 
A chamber darkened, full of gloom. 
A ghostly light shines in upon 

The dwellers in this spacious room. 
Here Fear and Trouble pace about ; 

Anxiety and Woe and Grief; 
Foreboding, Weariness, and Doubt, 

And Worry that escapes relief. 
This door I call " Forgetfulness " — 

In letters deep the word is cut — 
And though the dwellers madly press, 

I keep it ever tightly shut. 

This other door " Remembrance " is. 

It opens on a cheerful scene — 
Past joys, and little tastes of bliss, 

And happy moments that have been. 
Dear Peace, and Sweet Content, dwell here, 

And little deeds of kindness done ; 
And Hope and Love, and Faith, and Cheer, 

And blessings that my life hath won. 
This door is open all the while, 

Flung wide that every one may share 
Possessions that make life a smile, 

And put to rout all thoughts of care. 



[ 12 ] 



AGE-PROOF 

SECOND childhood came a-knocking, 
For the aged man athirst, 
But he met it with a mocking 
" I suppose," said he, " 'tis shocking 
Your arrangements to be blocking, 
But I'm hardly through my first ! 

" I presume it is outrageous, 

And I doubt not you will scold, 
But in all the many stages 
Of my life, bright and umbrageous 
Youth has aye been so contagious 
That I've failed to grow up old ! " 

Whereupon I'm glad to tell, O, 

He escaped a senile role. 
In the sere and in the yellow 
This dear, happy-hearted fellow 
Kept a beautifully mellow 

Touch of boyhood in his soul ! 



[ 13 ] 



THE RICHER MINES 

WHEN it comes to buying shares 
In the mines of earth, 
May I join the millionaires 
Who are rich in mirth. 

Let me have a heavy stake 

In fresh mountain air — 
I will promise now to take 

All that you can spare. 

When you're setting up your claim 

In the Mines of Glee, 
Don't forget to use my name — 

You can count on me. 

Nothing better can be won, 
Freer from alloy, 

Than a bouncing claim in " Con- 
solidated Joy." 

You can have your Copper Stocks, 
Gold and tin and coal — 

What I'd have within my box 
Has to do with Soul. 



[ 14 ] 



GARDENING 

TO dig and delve in nice clean dirt 
Can do a mortal little hurt. 

To live 'mongst lush and growing things 
Is like to give the spirit wings. 

Who works 'mongst roses soon will find 
Their fragrance budding in his mind, 

And minds that sprout with roses free — 
Well, that's the sort of mind for me ! 



[ 15 ] 



IF 



If I were fire I'd burn the world away. 
If I were wind I'd turn my storms thereon, 
If I were water I'd soon let it drown. 

— Cecco Angolieri. 

IF I were fire I'd seek the frozen North 
And warm it till it blossomed fairly forth 
And in the sweetness of its smiling mien 
Resembled some soft southern garden scene. 
And when the winter came again I'd seek 
The chilling homes of lowly ones and meek 
And do my small but most efficient part 
To bring a wealth of comfort to the heart. 

If I were wind I'd turn my breath upon 
The calm-bound mariner until, anon, 
The eager craft on which he sailed should find 
The harbor blest toward which it hath inclined. 
And in the city streets, when summer's days 
Were withering the soul with scorching rays, 
I'd seek the fevered brow and aching eyes 
And take to them a touch of Paradise. 

If I were water it would be my whim 
To seek out all earth's desert places grim, 
And turn each arid acre to a fair 
Lush home of flowers and oasis rare. 

[ 16 ] 



Resolved in dew, I'd nestle in the rose. 
As summer rain I'd ease the harvest woes, 
And where a tear to pain would be relief, 
A tear I'd be to kill the sting of grief. 

If I were gold, I'd seek the poor man's purse. 
I'd try to win my way into the verse 
Of some grand singer of Man's Brotherhood, 
And prove myself so pure, so fraught with good, 
That all the world would bless me for the cup 
Of happiness I'd brought for all to sup. 
And when at last my work of joy was o'er 
I'd be content to die, and be no more ! 



[17] 



THE BOOKS OF SPRING 

I FIND it hard to read 
These fresh spring days. 
I cannot pay due heed 
To well worn bays. 

I cannot fix my mind 

On Romance themes, 
Or the rare jewels find 

In poets' dreams. 

The music of the fields 

Is calling me — 
The rich and choral yields 

Of yon blue sea ; 

And all the books I know. 

My treasure-trove, 
Are Nature's all aglow 

With joy and love. 



[ 18] 



"DON'T CARE" AND "NEVER MIND * 

i 4T~^ON'T Care " is no friend of mine. 

M-J I " don't care " for him. 
When he comes it is a sign 

Sense is growing dim. 
He is not the thing of pride 
Some folks seem to think. 
Folly is his constant guide, 
Bread and meat and drink. 

Not to care when things go wrongs 

Not to care when ill 
Rises up to check your song. 

And your heart to chill — 
That were foolishness indeed 

Of an arrant sort. 
Nothing is too slight to heed 

On the way to port. 

But the sunny " Never Mind," 

He's a different wight. 
Helps us when the day's inclined 

Not to treat us right; 
Softens every bitter blast, 

Warms us when we're cold ; 
When the sky is overcast, 

Keeps us blithe and bold. 

[ 19 ] 



Bids all sorrow go its way. 

Helps us stay our tears, 
And when life seems drear and gray, 

Quiets all our fears. 
When it comes to share and share, 

I shall be resigned 
If some other gets " Don't Care " — 

I'll take " Never Mind ! " 



W ] 



AS TO EPITAPHS 

WHO cares for fulsome epitaphs, 
Cold, stony, staring paragraphs, 
In marble letters carved to rear 
Their praises in some graveyard drear, 
Where none come by save those who weep 
For others in eternal sleep? 

Who dreams of statues in some place 
Where worried humans madly race, 
In bronze or brass, or hewn in stone, 
Set proudly high, aloof, alone — 
Shrunk from a thing of life and wit 
Into insensate counterfeit? 

When comes the time that I shall stand 
Within the mystic shadowland, 
May it be mine to find my name 
In letters writ in living flame, 
Simple, devoid of striving art, 
Deep in some fellow being's heart* 

Not on a shaft to pierce the skies, 
But in the tears from loving eyes ; 
Not on some icy marble scroll, 
But in some comrade's wistful soul, 
Who takes the name and fame of me 
And treasures it in memory ! 

[ 21 ] 



AFTER THE TIFF 

THAT every rose should have its thorn 
Is Mother Nature's way, 
And hence it is I do not mourn 

At finding out to-day 
That Daphne, whom I love so much, 

For whom there is no match. 
For all her soft and tender touch, 
Can scratch ! 

The thing to do is not to moan 
Because I've learned the fact, 

But let her rosy sweets atone 
The slightly feline act. 

No man who has the slightest wit 
Because the thorn is there 

Condemns the rose, but handles it 
With care. 

Hence when my rose hath come again 
My frown she shall not see. 

She'll find me smiling gaily when 
Once more she comes to me. 

She'll find the love I testify 
No bubble is, forlorn, 

To perish when 'tis punctured by 
A thorn ! 

[ 22 ] 



AN UNSELFISH HERMIT 

J r 1 1 1S sometimes good to be alone — 
JL Deep thinkers frequently affirm it 

To seek some spot afar, unknown, 
And dwell there as a very Hermit;. 

For me, I'm not at all inclined 

To frown on folks who go in hiding, 

There to restore a wearied mind, 
Or to escape a world too chiding. 

Indeed, I think that loneliness 

Instead of, as some say, distressing, 

Is often truly more or less 

A source of comfort, and a blessing. 

But I'm no selfish wight, and so 
When I'm alone I so prepare it 

I have a brown-eyed lass I know 
Along with me — to share it ! 



[ 23 ] 



MY NEIGHBOR 

i I QET down," said he, 
kJ When greeting me. 
" I'm glad to see ye back. Bring up a cheer, 
An' set down here." 
Straightway I did 
As I was bid, 
And taking up the most convenient chair 
I drew it nigh the genial stove, and " set " down 
there. 

We talked and laughed, 

And grinned and chaffed. 
He joked with me, and till the light grew dim 

I joked with him. 

And when 'twas o'er 

I sought the door, 
And walked home through the evening clear 
Convinced that he did well to call a chair a 
" cheer " — 

'Twixt you and me 

That's what it " be " 
With whole-souled neighbors such as he ! 



[ 24 ] 



WINTER FLOWERS 

SOME seek for blossoms in the south, 
Where fragrant garden-closes are, 
By some lush river's verdured mouth 

In lands afar. 
But not beneath those balmier skies 

Seek I my floral dividends. 
I find them in my children's eyes. 
I find them in the smile I prize 
Beyond all life's felicities, 
And in the hearts of friends ! 



[ 25 ] 



THE PINE 

LET others have the maple trees 
With all their garnered sweets. 
Let others choose the mysteries 

Of leafy oak retreats. 
I'll give to other men the fruit 

Of cherry and the vine. 
Their claims to none will I dispute 
If I can have the pine. 

I love it for its tapering grace, 

Its uplift straight and true. 
I love it for the fairy lace 

It throws against the blue. 
I love it for its quiet strength, 

Its hints of dreamy rest, 
As stretching forth my weary length 

I lie here as its guest. 

No Persian rug for priceless fee 

Was e'er so richly made 
As that the pine hath spread for me 

To woo me to its shade. 
No kindly friend hath ever kept 

More faithful vigil by 
A tired comrade as he slept 

Beneath his watchful eye. 

[ 26 ] 



But best of all I love it for 

Its soft eternal green ; 
Through all the winter winds that roar 

It ever blooms serene ; 
And strengthens souls oppressed by fears, 

By troubles multiform, 
To turn amid the stress of tears 

A smiling face to storm ! 



[ 27 ] 



EXORCISED 

SPIED a bit of Care to-day, 
Looked as black as anything, 
But as he came up the way, 
I began to sing. 

Songs and trills that thrilled with glee, 
Songs of joy, and peace, and dawn — 

Then I peeped out warily — 
Mr. Care had gone ! 



28 



THE SEASON OF YOUTH 

I FEAR there's little hope for me- 
On age I'll never sup. 
It makes no difference where I be, 
When Spring-time first I chance to see, 
And birds about me trill their glee, 
I simply can't grow up! 

My soul's so full of verve and snap, 
My heart's so filled with j oy, 

Despite in years I'm quite a chap 

In noisy rout I toss my cap, 

And, spread out flat on Nature's lap, 
I holler like a boy ! 

O three times blessed time of Spring, 

Your praises have been sung 
Since birds first flew upon the wing, 
Since mortal man learned how to sing, 
Because the blessings that you bring 
Keep us forever young! 



[ 29 ] 



LAUGHTER 

WORRY stalked along the road, 
Trouble sneaking after ; 
Then Black Care, and Grief, and Goad 
Enemies to Laughter. 

But old Laughter with a shout 
Rose up and attacked 'em ; 

Put the sorry pack to rout, 
Walloped 'em and whacked 'em. 

Laughter frivols day and night ; 

Sometimes he's a bubble, 
But he hath a deal of might 

In a bout with Trouble! 



[ 30 ] 



FRIENDS 

MAY I be friends to all the trees ; 
To birds, and blossoms and the bees ; 
To things that creep, and things that hide 
Through all the teeming countryside ; 
On terms with all the stars at night, 
With all their playful beams of light ; 
In love with leafy dales and hills, 
And with the laughing mountain rills ; 
With summer skies, and winter snows; 
With every kind of breeze that blows ; 
The wide sea, and the stretching plain, 
The tempest, and the falling rain — 
If I were thus what need had I 
To fear Death's solemn mystery 
That takes me from the world's alarms 
And lays me in earth's loving arms? 



[ 31 ] 



PHILOSOPHY 

IF there's no Sun, I still can have the Moon; 
If there's no Moon, the Stars my needs suf- 
fice; 
And if these fail, I have my Evening Lamp ; 
Or, Lampless, there's my trusty Tallow Dip ; 
And if the Dip goes out, my Couch remains, 
Where I may sleep and dream there's Light 
asrain. 



[ as ] 



I 



AD ASTRA 

'VE talked with Woe, and in my deep distress 
Have learned from her the way to happiness. 



With Failure I've communed, and in her frown 
Have read how those who strive may win the 
crown. 

And face to face with Sin, deep in her eyes, 
I've glimpsed the hint that leads to Paradise ! 



[ 33 ] 



RELINQUISHMENT 

TO Arcady let others go, 
I do not seek the way. 
I do not pine to wander through 
Her meadows bright and gay. 
Her wondrous joys let others take, 

Her songs let others sing — 
The songs with which the birds awake 
The blossoms of the spring. 

I care naught for her floral treats, 

Nor for the pleasures rare 
With which each passing moment greets 

The dweller over there. 
There's much of bliss in Arcady, 

And happiness prevails, 
And all from woe and care are free 

Within her pleasant dales. 

Her mien is smiling all the time ; 

Her glance holds soft caress ; 
Her voice hath music of the chime, 

And spangled is her dress. 
And yet despite her wealth of cheer, 

Unenvied is her lot ; 
For I have that to hold me here 

That Arcady hath not ! 

[ 34 ] 



A floral feast in Some One's eyes, 

Pure bliss in Some One's lips ; 
Care-Freedom in the glad surprise 

Of Some One's finger-tips. 
There's song enough in Some One's voice 

To fill the Heart of me 
With music that shall ne'er rejoice 

The vales of Arcady! 



[ 35 ] 



ON A GLOOMY DAY 

DEPRESSED to-day? Well, so am I. 
Deep hid in clouds the Heavens lie, 
And all the earth is merged in mist 
By sun as yet unkist, 
And gloomy is the weather — 
But here's a rope, 
Not made of hemp, but weft of Hope 

For brighter skies, 
And joy to come that somewhere lies 
Beyond our present gloomy view, 

Let down to help us two ! 
Grip hold! We'll climb to peace together! 



[ 36 ] 



A SYLVAN HOME 

GIVE me a place deep in some tangled 
woody glade 
Where in the days gone by some vagrom fairy 

strayed, 
Some happy, care-free, and contented little 
gnome 
To whom 'twas home. 

Clothe all the trees in soft, soul-resting, spring- 
time green — 
A sort of bower lustrous with scintillant sheen — 
Whose waving branches call the flying bird to 
rest 
And build her nest. 

Quite close at hand I'd have a babbling silver 

brook 
To fill with music sweet my quiet sylvan nook ; 
And deep within its pools let trout or salmon be, 
Unharmed of me ! 

Let deer and fox and all the woodland creatures 

come 
And be my neighbors, unafraid and frolicsome ; 
To sport about my door-step gaily, as one 
spends 
A day with friends. 

[ 37 ] 



And in the night, when all the wood is still, 

may I 
Find smiling visitors arriving from the sky — 
The dancing moon-rays, and the star-beams full 

of glee 
For company ! 



[ 38 ] 



PERSISTENCE 

HERE'S my heart for you, my Sweet. 
See, I lay it at your feet. 
Do with it whate'er you will — 
Treat it well, or treat it ill; 
Break it if you please, and then 
I will have it fixed again, 
And within a day or two 
Send it back, my Love, to you. 



C 39] 



MAY IT BE MINE 

IF any round about me play, 
And dance and sing in glad array, 
And laugh and cheer, 
May it be mine to see and hear. 

If any toil at noble things, 
And strive the higher levellings 

To reach and win, 
May it be mine to join therein. 

If any grieve or suffer pain, 

And tears fall like the summer rain 

From troubled skies, 
May it be mine to sympathize ! 



[ 40 ] 



IN THE LIBRARY 

WHAT joy to sit at eve among 
The treasures of a library ! 
To hear the songs undying sung 
By singers with the silver tongue 
Who've climbed unto* the highest rung 
Of Immortality ! 

To see the heroes of Romance 
March forth in glorious array; 

The cavaliers of ancient France, 

With vizor down, and poised lance ? 

As here and there their chargers prance 
All eager for the fray. 

To hear old Bos well's prattle fine 
Of Johnson and his cronies great; 

To watch Columbus and his line 

Of caravels speed o'er the brine ; 

To rest with Omar 'neath the vine ; 
And chum with men of State. 

To chat with noble Washington, 
With Cassar and with Cicero ; 

To study birds with Audubon; 

To walk with Scott and Marmion ; 

To stroll with Lamb and Emerson, 
With Carlyle and Thoreau ! 

[ 41 ] 



If you on happiness would look, 

On happiness that's true and blue, 
Just glance within this little nook 
By all the madding crowd forsook 
Where I am sitting with my book — - 
And One to read it to ! 



[ 42 ] 



TIME'S BANQUET 

THE past hath had its meed from me 
While it was passing; 
The present, therefore, I'll not be 

Harassing 
With thoughts of things that were, or might 

have been. 
I've time and inclination but to win 
The best the hours imminent prepare ; 
Insure the future with a present care, 
And feast my soul upon the fruit and wine 
Of Opportunity, on which 'twere well to dine 

With zest, 
As doth become the grateful guest 
Of Time, who in his onward flight 
Hath set a table rare to wait on appetite. 



[ 43 ] 



THE ELOQUENCE OF SILENCE 

I LOVE the vast tranquillities 
Of Nature's silences: 
The silence of the deep, 
Resistless power wrapped in restful sleep ; 
The silence of the storm-swept hills 
Serene in face of bitter ills ; 
The silence of the skies so deeply blue, 
That smile the live-long summer through; 
The silence of the stars that shine by night 
And ease the dark with flash of friendly light ; 
The silence of the glens and dales, 
Sequestered nooks and deep-verdured vales; 

All eloquent 
Of peacefulness and true content; 
The silence of the forest wild that sings 
The tranquil songs of growing things ; 
The silence of the meadows soon to bear 
The fruitage of the harvest ; and the rare 
Sweet silence of the setting sun 
That tells of labor done; 
And love as great as that of Paradise 
Is whispered surest by the silent eyes ! 



[ 44 ] 



ON FILE 

IF an unkind word appears, 
File the thing away. 
If some novelty in jeers, 
File the thing away. 
If some clever little bit 
Of a sharp and pointed wit, 
Carrying a sting with it — 
File the thing away. 

If some bit of gossip come, 

File the thing away. 
Scandalously spicy crumb, 

File the thing away. 
If suspicion comes to you 
That your neighbor isn't true 
Let me tell you what to do — 

File the thing away ! 

Do this for a little while, 
Then go out and burn the file. 



[ 45 ] 



THE NOTE WITHIN 

1HAVE a song within my heart that I shall 
never sing. 

I know s tis there for I can feel its joyous flut- 
tering. 

Just how it goes, I do not know ; and what it is 
about, 

Though I have tried and tried again I cannot 
quite make out — 

But this I know : when days are dark, and sullen 
is the air, 

It does not vex my soul at all, because that song 
is there! 



[ 46 ] 



NATURE'S HIRED MAN 

JGGIN' in the earth, 
Helpin' things to grow, 
Foolin' with a rake, 
Flirtin' with a hoe ; 

Waterin' the plants, 

Pullin' up the weeds, 
Gatherin' the stones, 

Puttin' in the seeds ; 

On your face and hands 

Pilin' up a tan — 
That's the job for me, 

Nature's hired man ! 

Wages best of all. 

Better far than wealth. 
Paid in good fresh air, 

And a lot o' health. 

Never any chance 

Of your gettin' fired, 

And when night comes on 
Knowin 5 why you're tired. 

Nature's hired man ! 
That's the job for me, 

[ 47 ] 



With the birds and flowers 
For society. 

Let the other feller 

For the dollar scratch — 
I am quite contented 

With my garden-patch. 



[48 ] 



THE SMILE OF PLENTY 

WHEN Plenty smiles the world seems fair, 
And sweet content rests everywhere, 
Save when with laughter in her eye 
She smiles on Want — and passes by. 

'Tis not thy smile that proves thee blest, 
O Plenitude. Thou art at best 
When on thy luscious lips we see 
The quivering touch of Sympathy. 

Thy crown will not rest sure until 
Thou hast redeemed the world from ill, 
And ta'en the smile thy courtiers vaunt 
And placed it on the lips of Want ! 



[ 49] 



BY SPECIAL DELIVERY 

WHEN I've a quarrel in my mind 
With one who's far away, 
To scorching letters I'm inclined, 
In which I say my say. 

And then I take those seething screeds 

So full of ink and ire, 
In which I threaten awful deeds, 

And mail them — in the fire 1 



[ 50 ] 



THE KINDLY MOON 

THE red moon rises from the sea 
And seems to pave a path for me, 
As if inviting me to come 
And join it in its distant home. 

A sparkling ladder made of gold 
It throws athwart the ripples cold, 
And bids me climb to starry heights 
There to partake of its delights. 

And when perchance it comes to know 
That while I would I may not go, 
It smiles benignly on me still, 
And lingers on my window-sill. 

It peeps in at me through the pane 
Until the night is on the wane, 
And at the coming of the day, 
Still smiling back, tiptoes away. 



[ 51 ] 



A RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS 

BEGIN the day with smiling eyes ; 
Pursue the day with smiling lips ; 
Through clouds perceive the smiling skies 
Up where the smiling sunbeam trips. 

Let smiling thoughts within your mind 
Drive gloom and cold despair apart, 

And promptings of a genial kind 
Keep ever glowing in your heart. 

Meet trouble with a cheery mien, 
Be jovial in the face of care — 

He routs all mischief from the scene 
Who greets it with a jocund air. 



[ 52 ] 



A CHOICE 

IF you must sit and sigh, 
And have the blues, 
Why don't you try 
To realize 
That there are sighs and sighs, 
And blues and blues, 
From which to choose? 
There's Heavenly blues, and blues of tranquiJ 

seas, 
Both pleasant — if you have them, pray have 

these ; 
And when you sigh, be like the turtle-dove, 
Who knows not grief, and merely sighs for love. 



[ 53 ] 



AMBITION 

NO bay for me that critics may deny 
In distant ages ; no position high 
To win me others' envy, but a place 
Among the men of service to my race ; 

To earn the meed of praise that comes to one 
Who sees at eve his daily labor done, 
And done so well no hostile eye can find 
A flaw in it, or fault of any kind. 

To spread a note of cheer where'er I stray, 
To lead the joyless to a brighter day. 
To fill the hearts of sufferers with song. 
To stand alway a sturdy foe to wrong. 

To win the love of those with whom I toil. 
To keep as close as may be to the soil 
Whence came my strength and power, and anon 
When it must be to die with harness on 1 



[ 54 ] 



THE TEACHERS 

GIVE me a tree that I may watch it rise 
Up, ever upward to the eternal skies, 
And learn from it the lesson it doth teach 
In patience e'er for higher things to reach. 

Give me a tiny rill, a rivulet 
That speeds along unmindful of regret; 
That dashes onward to the mighty sea 
Athirst of that great whole a part to be ! 

Give me the sturdy peak that proudly rears 
Its head aloft whatever storm appears, 
To fill my soul with that great strengthfulness 
That holds it steadfast in the hour of stress ! 

Give me a star to look at far above, 
A star that sheds its radiant rays of love, 
And sparkles fairest in the blackest night, 
And sends down through the dark its song of 
light ! 



[ 55 ] 



THE ROAD TO MEMORY 

UPON the Road to Memory 
I lingered long to-day, 
And O the things that I did see 
Upon that precious way ! 

A little chap with dark brown eyes, 

With others, came along; 
He was not big, nor very wise, 

But happy was his song. 

He sang of days that were to come, 

When he should be a man; 
They made a truly wondrous sum, 

The things that he did plan. 

But when he looked me in the face, 

'Twas with a wistful eye ; 
Then turned and gazed far into space, 

And gave a little sigh. 

And then he spoke. His voice was kind, 
His words — ah, they were good. 

He whispered softly, " Never mind — 
We've done the best we could ! " 



[ 56 ] 



For on that Road of Memory, 
That leads to Yesterday, 

He was the lad I used to be 
Before my locks were gray ! 



[ & ] 



MY TREASURES 

I DREAMED last night a Spirit came to me 
And placed within my hand the golden key 
Of Fortune. " Life's best treasures wait 

For thee," quoth he, " beyond the Sunrise 
Gate." 

I wandered through the night with visions rare 
Of finding stores of gold and silver there ; 

Of lustrous drifts of scintillating gems 
Fit to adorn some monarch's diadems. 

Then when the dawn lit up the eastern sky 
And I awoke to find the dream gone by, 

The Sunrise Gate before mine eyes swung ope, 
And there my treasures lay — Love, Health, 
and Hope ! 



[ 58 ] 



THE FRIENDLY NIGHT 

NIGHT falls, and darkness comes apace; 
The earth in mystic shadow lies ; 
A veil hath covered Nature's face, 
And seems to hide her eyes. 

The fading light tiptoes away ; 

The laggard hours softly creep, 
As with the passing of the day 

The world is hushed in sleep. 

A vast sweet stillness covers all ; 

A quietude un vexed and blest 
Now sounds a scarcely whispered call 

That summons us to rest. 

Gateway to dreams I Gone care and pain ; 

Gone sorrow, sighs ; gone tears and blight ; 
Pathway from Light to Light again — 

God's blessings on thee, Night! 



[ 59] 



SUPPOSE 

SUPPOSE your mind a garden were, 
All ready for the spring, 
And everything you planted there 
Would soon be blossoming. 

Suppose that evil thoughts were weeds 

That rankly grew apace, 
And every dream of selfish deeds 

Should blossom in disgrace; 

While every impulse to be kind, 

To ease some other's woes, 
Should bud and blossom in your mind 

A fair and fragrant rose. 

Suppose that every idle whim, 
And every thought of scorn, 

Should find its fruitage in a grim 
And poison-laden thorn ; 

While every purpose to uplift 
Your soul from sordid ways 

Should burst into a snow-white drift 
Of tender lily-sprays. 



[ 60 ] 



'Tis surely with no danger fraught 
Supposing things like this — 

And maybe here's a seed of thought 
To flower forth in bliss. 



[ 61 ] 



ON THINKING GLAD 

NEVER mind a change of scene 
Try a change of thinking. 
What if things seem sordid, mean. 

What's the use of blinking? 
Life's not always storm and cloud. 

Somewhere stars are shining. 
Try to think your joys out loud, 
Silence all repining. 

By degrees, by thinking light, 

Thinking glad and sweetly, 
You'll escape the stress of night. 

Worry gone completely. 
Get the habit looking for 

Sunbeams pirouetting, 
Tapping gaily at your door — 

Surest cure for fretting. 

Needn't fool yourself at all, 

For there's no denying 
E'en above a prison wall 

Song-birds are aflying. 
Wherefore hearken to the song, 

Never mind the prison, 
And you'll find your soul ere long 

Unto freedom risen. 

[ 62 ] 



THE ESCAPE 

ESCAPE from your shop for a little, 
No matter just where it may be. 
Go out in the green woods and whittle, 

Or wander along by the sea. 
Fly forth from the turbulent city 

And all of its clangorous ills, 
And list to the jovial ditty 

Of birds on the burgeoning hills. 

No matter how much you enjoy it, 

Drop work for a moment and dance ; 
Go out for a little and " boy " it — 

Give old Mother Nature a chance. 
Be noisy and fresh, and be j oily ; 

Build castles of nothing but air ; 
Drop worry and black melancholy — 

Escape from vexation and care. 

Go lie on the grass and just holler; 

Go laze by the babbling streams ; 
Forget there's a thing called a dollar, 

And live in your visions and dreams. 
Like mists of the night, like a bubble, 

Will vanish unquiet and fear, 
And out of the sea of your trouble 

Will rise the warm sunlight of cheer! 

[ 63 ] 



TO MELANCHOLY 

MELANCHOLY, 
Melancholy, 
I've no use for you, by Golly ! 
Yet I'm going to keep you hidden 
In some chamber dark, forbidden, 
Just as though you were a prize, sir, 
Made of gold, and I a miser — 
Not because I think you jolly, 

Melancholy ! 
Not for that I mean to hoard you, 
Keep you close and lodge and board you, 
As I would my sisters, brothers, 
Cousins, aunts, and old grandmothers, 
But that you shan't bother others 
With your sniffling, snuffling folly, 

Howling, 

Yowling, 
Melancholy ! 



C 64 ] 



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